Top 10 Male Video Game Characters

There is a lot to be said about the male characters of video games. You have your heroes, the unembellished protagonists who take on the jobs that need to be done in order to protect that which is important to them. You have your villains, those despicable thorns in your side who never seem to leave you alone to gather your thoughts and always rob you of the things most precious to you. Then you have your vigilantes, the ones who will do whatever it takes to get the job done, even if it means annihilating the gods in which they are born from. While it is known that male characters in video games tend to get all of the spotlight, it is also known that some have to go through many levels of pain in order to be noticed considerably. The list below ranks the cream of the crop male characters to ever grace the dimensions of video games and focuses on the depth that each one of them has brought into the videogame field.

It has to suck trying to save the woman of your dreams only to be killed by the man trying to overtake your kingdom. Thus is the story of Maximo. Our valiant warrior returns home to find the ruthless Achille trying to take over his kingdom. To top it off, he also has the queen held captive. Fortunately, Death seems to be on Maximo's side since he was brought back to life to save not only his girl, but a few other damsels in distress. Maximo struck fear into the hearts of every undead villain he crossed all while sporting nothing more than his boxers, now that is a hero!

9. Zidane Tribal (Final Fantasy IX)

There were several characters I could have chosen from the Final Fantasy cannon, but none of them sported the charismatic flare of the uncaring will do what it takes hero quite like Zidane. He was also one of Square Enix's best attempts at leading you into the heart of the character without drudging them through countless heartache and break. Zidane is the one character who has stuck with me like no other. He was the hero, the joyous bouncing ball of energy, and the take no crap character the FF series is known for, all rolled into one. That and he had a monkey tale; how cool would that be?

8. Dante (Devil May Cry series)

Just what every main male character needs - a smart mouth. Dante has delivered on that aspect of himself in spades with each installment of his journeys to take out the demons that walk the Earth. More often than not, he can also back up his over the top loud mouth, which makes him one of those characters that can easily be enjoyed as you play through their games. There is one other thing that makes Dante stand out from the masses, and that is his impenetrable devilish arrogance to go along with his mouth. While this could be seen as the same thing, he does not see it that way. They are two different abilities he has been building on since he first appeared on the scene in 2001. We just keep asking for more and Dante is more than willing to help us out.

7. Chris Redfield (Resident Evil series)

What sucks more? Having your entire special teams unit wiped out with the exception of a super skilled female, Jill, and loyal near veteran, Barry, along with Albert Wesker, the reason for your team's obliteration to be left alive or facing hordes and hordes of zombies? Yeah, so you kind of know how Chris feels about the world around him. What's more, take into consideration you spend almost all of your time trying to fight off zombies and ravenous dogs, and then eat green plants to heal yourself. Right, you'd feel the same way. If those were not bad enough, imagine being forced into video game hiatus, even if you did spring from the shadows looking cooler and sleeker than you ever have before. Of course, now you will be facing even more zombies and vile creatures. Oh, and the vile man who put you in this place to begin with will be somewhere sharpening the bullet with your name on it. Chris has a lot in store, and the fact he has been missing for years adds to his warranted inclusion to the list.

6. Master Chief (Halo series)

What kind of man takes on an entire race of vile creatures and lives to tell the tale? A man like Master Chief, that's who. While the good Master Chief's story is a little convoluted at times, there's nothing that denies him from appearing on the list of some of the greatest male characters in video game history. He's the kind of guy that sees the mission in front of him and does whatever it takes to get the job done even if that means stowing away on an enemy's ship in order to finish the job. Of course, there's much left to be told about his mission, but I'm sure nothing will sway my opinion of the toughest space Marine out there.